New Iowa Bike Safety Bill Gets Backlash From Cyclists

Not everyone is on board with a new bill in Iowa.

Iowa's legislative session has been in for several weeks, and now, one week after the 2026 RAGBRAI route was announced, there's a new piece of proposed legislation that would impact cyclists across the state.

House Study Bill 637 proposes major changes to Iowa's biking laws. It would make it illegal for someone to ride bikes, e-bikes, scooters, wheelchairs, strollers, or any kind of personal transport like it on roads that have speed limits over 25 mph.

Cyclists aren't happy about this. Luke Hoffman, Executive Director of the Iowa Bicycle Coalition, told KCCI:

In our very humble opinion, this is the most anti-biking bill in the history of the Iowa Legislature, unfortunately....It's disguised as a bike safety bill. But what it really does is, functionally and explicitly, bans biking on most of Iowa's roadways, if not all.

Hoffman said the legislation would effectively ban RAGBRAI, making Iowa's biking economy take a hit. He expressed concern for recreational biking in Iowa overall should the bill pass, citing that 1 in 3 residents (900,000) own a bike.

There's also more to the bill. Besides the 25 mph speed limit rule, the bill would also ban e-bikes from sidewalks, multi-use trails, and effectively prohibit bike couriers and package delivery by bike. Violators could face 30 days in jail and fines of $855.

As for where the bill is going next, Public Safety Committee Chair Mike Vondran said that the bill was pulled from consideration on Tuesday, citing that it needs more work.